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As soon as an English player has a good game, the media and fanbases start recklessly calling for him to be in the international squad.

And it’s beginning to happen with our most expensive ever player Andy Carroll, now of West Ham, on the back of his hat-trick against Arsenal last weekend.

Robbie Savage, for instance, claimed yesterday that Carroll and Marcus Rashford should go to the Euros, presumably at the expense of Daniel Sturridge with Jamie Vardy, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney certainties.

Now we don’t always have much time for England boss Roy Hodgson, especially after his horrible spell at Liverpool, but today, he’s spoken a bit of sense.

Hodgson laughed off suggestions of Carroll’s inclusion, mentioning all the times the media labels the attacker ‘a waste of money’ as a rebuttal!

“Every time someone scores a goal and he’s English it is ‘why is he not playing for England?’ Hodgson told the BBC.

“I’m certainly not going to pick him on the basis that he scored a hat-trick so therefore has to be in the England team.

“How many articles have and people written about Andy Carroll? ‘What a waste of £15m, never plays, injured again.’ The moment he scores a goal you want him in the England team. I find that a little bit hard to come to terms with as a football person, I must say.”

There’s an argument to suggest Carroll should be in the squad as a ‘Plan B’, but certainly not at Sturridge’s expense. Our striker, on his day, is arguably England’s best player – and Hodgson shouldn’t accommodate a striker of Carroll’s ability for him.

On the other hand, it’d be nice for Sturridge to have a whole summer off and start next season fit and raring to go – but we wouldn’t wish him out of the squad on a personal level!